Fire extinguishing apparatus



May 8, 1934. E TYDEN 1,958,283`

FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Filed Nov. l0. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g x /r foo Patented May 8, 1934 entre stares .PTENT GFFICE claims.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus for protecting buildings against re, particularly designed to aord especial protection to extra hazardous areas by insuring especially prompt discharge of Water in such areas when there is nre in any part of the eXtra hazardous area. And for this purpose the invention comprises novel forms of two valve devices, one referred to as the control valve and the other referred to as the system-connecting valve.

1n the drawings:

Figure l is a diagrammatic view of the nature cf a section ci a building equipped with an apparatus embodying this invention, the diagram being made, in general, Without distinction between vertical and horizontal extent of the diiferent parts of the apparatus diagrammed.

Figure 2 is a section of a control valve employed in the system shown in the diagram in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section of a system-connecting valve device employed in conjunction with the control valve of Figure 2 and indicated diagrammatically in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional View of the temperature-responsive device shown diagrammatically in side elevation in Figure 7 for controlling the access oi water to the open head service system.

Figure 5 is an end elevation ci the construction shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section at the line 6 6 on Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic View similar to part of Figure 1 showing a modification.

Figure 8 is a section in a plane at right angles to the line 8 8 on Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail: A Water supply line is indicated at l() leading to a main valve member, 1l, which may be understood to be of the general character oi a customary main valve of a wet pipe system with the delivery pipe line, 13, leading to the closed head service pipe system, 14., provided with the usual closed sprinkler heads 1.5. 16a indicates the customary shutoi valve in the supply line antecedent to the main valve, 11, which shut-off valve will be opened when the system is set for service and closed after operating for nre extinguishment the system is to be drained for resetting-according to the usual and necessary operation and handling of fire extinguishing systems. 16 is a water delivery pipe line connected with the supply line, 10, antecedent to the wet pipe system valve, 11, said pipe line, 16, leading to a flowcontrolling valve device, 17, indicated in Figure 1, hereinafter more particularly described. 16a is a shut-01T valve in the pipe line, 16, which may be set open When the system including the part served by the pipe line, 16, is set for service, and which may be closed when it is not desired to bring that part of the system into service. The valve device, 17, as indicated in the hereinafter contained detail description, has two discharges, the lirst discharge leading by a pipe line, 20, to the intake of a connecting device 'shown in outline at 21 in Figure l hereinafter referred to as the system-connecting valve, and the second discharge by a pipe line, 18, leading to any convenient point of connection With the open head service system, 23.

The system-connecting valve device, 21, is also connected from its discharge indicated at 21e, by"

Acoupled pipe elements, withthe pipe line, 22,

leading to the open head service pipe system, 23, Whose open heads are indicated at 24.

The valve, 21g, of the system-connecting device, 21, is arranged to be controlled by fluid pressure as hereinafter fully described, and the connection for such fluid pressure is shown at 25 in Figure 1 leading fromthe pipe line, 19, of the closed head system, 14, to said system-connecting device for operating the valve thereof as hereinafter described.

In the pipe line, 18, intermediate the junction of said pipe line with the flow-controlling'valve device, 17, and the junction of` said line, 18, with the pipe, 22, leading to the open head -system', there is interposed a thermostatically operated valve device indicated at in Figures land 6, and hereinafter more particularly described, the valve member, 30a, of said device being normally closed and arranged to be opened by the opera-` tion of the temperature-responsive device indicated at 40 in Figure 1 and shown in detail in Figures 5 and 6, said temperature-responsive" device being associated with the valve `de vice, 30, for eiecting opening of the valve upon certain temperature conditions including rate of rise aiecting said temperature-responsive device as hereinafter more particularly described.

Without consideration ofthe specific construction of the flow-controlling valve device and temperature-responsive device, but considering only the general arrangement and relation of these parts with the service pipe systems, the operation of the apparatus may be understood to be as follows:

Assuming the installation effected, and the supply pipe, 10, connected with a source of Water under pressure, in the absence of fire the water occupies the system, including the delivery line, 13, and the service pipe system, 14, to the closed heads, the main valve, 11, being normally closed by gravity plus the pressure in the delivery line due to the closed heads preventing discharge.

At the same time, by way of the pipe line, 16, the water occupies the line to the flow-controlling valve device, 17, and the line, 18, leading from the second discharge 17h (see Fig. 2) of said flowcontrolling valve device, hereinafter more particularly described, to the closed valve, 30, and from the first discharge, 17e, (see Fig. 2) by way of the connecting pipe, 20, to the normally closed valve, 21g (see Fig. 3), in the system-connecting device, 21. By way of the line, 19, water will arrive from the closed head service pipe system, 14, at the system-connecting valve, as indicated at 25. And this Water pressure will be operative upon the valve, 21, holding it closed in the systemconnecting device, 21, so long as all the discharge heads of the closed head system remain closed. No water discharge is therefore occurring from either the closed head system or the open head system under these conditions.

Upon the occurrence of fire causing the fusion and opening of any one or more of the closed heads, 15, in the closed head service pipe system, 14, the resulting relief of pressure in the line 19, permits the valve, 21g, to be opened by the water pressure reaching that valve from the line, 16, by way of the control valve device, 17, from the first discharge of said device through pipe, 20, thus admitting the water through the systemconnecting valve device, 21, for discharge through the pipe, 22, to the open head service pipe system and beyond the open heads thereof in the extra hazardous area.

In the event that fire occurs at a location in the protected area such that the fire gases reach the temperature-responsive device, 40, before any of the closed heads of the system, 14, are opened automatically by fusion, the operation of the A temperature-responsive device opening the valve,

, of the valve device, 30, clears the way for flow of water past said valve device and through the succeeding part of the line 18 to the pipe, 22, and to the open head system, 23 (see Figure 1) which flow will take place when the conditions are such as to relieve the pressure in line 19, and permit the opening of valve, 21g, as already described, for releasing the pressure in the valve device, 17, and permit the opening of the valves of that device by the supply pressure.

'I'he construction of the parts indicated diagrammatically in Figure 1, thus far referred to only by reference to their functions respectively in the total organization, will now be described.

The main water supply valve, 11, is of familiar commercial construction, requiring no detail description beyond pointing out that the body connected at the lower side to the water supply pipe, 10, and also at the upper side to the delivery line, 13, has the valve member, 11a, arranged to be normally seated by gravity opening inwardly under the supply pressure, and thus adapted to be held seated by the hydrostatic head of the water occupying the delivery line above it so long as that line is closed, preventing discharge, but subject to be opened by supply pressure whenever the delivery line or any branch thereof is opened for discharge.

The control valve device, 17, consists of three i members, of which the first member, 17a, having the inlet passage, 17h, is arranged for attachment to the supply line, as seen at 17. The second member, 17d, of the valve body constitutes the valve chamber and has a delivery passage arranged for connection, as seen at 17e, with the system connecting device, 21, leading to the closed head service pipe system. v

The third body member, 17f, is arranged to be held bound between the other two body members, as indicated by bolts, 17g. This member contains the delivery passage, 17h, hereinabove referred to as the second discharge, arranged for connection, as seen at l7, to connections leading to the open head service pipe system.

This third member has also the continuation of the inlet passage, 17h, leading to the inlet port, 17k, and to the valve seat, 175. At the discharge port of the valve body or entrance portion of the discharge line, indicated at 171, said third member of the body has a valve seat, 17m, for the discharge control valve, 17u.

The inlet valve, 1711, is pivoted to the third member of the valve body, as seen at 17X, at one side of the port, 17k, and the valve seat, 175, and has mounted upon it at the opposite side of the seat from its pivot the discharge control valve, 17, which seats at the discharge port, 171, simultaneously with the seating of the inlet valve, 17, at its seat, 171.

For insuring substantially simultaneous seating of the two valves, the valve, 17, is mounted adjustably on the extended arm of the inlet valve, as indicated by a threaded bushing, 17T, screwed through said extended lever arm of the inlet valve, affording engagement for the stem of the valve, 17, as clearly seen in Figure 8.

The construction of the system-connecting valve, 21, will now be described.

It comprises a valve body in two parts, 21au and 2lb. The part, 21a, has a flow passage, 21, connecting an inlet port, 21d, with an outlet port, 210, with a valve seat, 21f, in said ilow passage, at which a flow-controlling valve, 21g, is held normally seated by a spring, 21h, and more particularly hereinafter described. The body members, 21a and 2lb, are formed with mated faces for clamping between them the flexible diaphragm, 21m, to which the stern, 211, of the valve, 21g, is secured at the center of the diaphragm, the spring 21h, reacting for holding the valve, 21g, normally seated, as mentioned.

The mated faces of the body members, 21a and 2lb, are recessed to form in the body member, 2lb, a pressure chamber, 211, and in the body member, 21a, an accommodation for the movement of the diaphragm in its flexure for operating the valve, 21E. The chamber, 2l, is arranged for connection as seen at 25, with the pipe line, 19, as already described.

The operation of this device may be understood from the foregoing description, being that when by the automatic opening, as by fusion, of a closed head of the closed head system, the pressure in the closed head system is vented through the line, 19, permitting the valve, 21g, to be opened and water to be discharged at the port, 17e, of the control valve and to be delivered through the pipe, 20, through port, 21e, to the pipe line, 22. and pipe system, 23, and open heads, 24; and if, before the opening of the closed heads, the valve, 30a, has been opened by the temperatureresponsive device, 40, or when such opening occurs after the opening of a closed head, additional water discharging past the valve, 17D, through the discharge passage, 17h, will reach the pipe line, 22,

for discharge at the open heads of the open head system.

The temperature-responsive device indicated by the housing, 40, comprises a pair of metal bars, 41 and 42, of substantially different cross section, both journalled slidingly at one end in the head block, 44, of the housing at that end and near said journalled end secured together rigidly by a cross tie, 44. At the opposite end the heavier bar, 41, is made fast in the head block, 45, of the housing, and the lighter bar extends slidingly through said head block for encounter by a protruding end with a screw, 46, which is set through a short cross arm, 47, of a latch lever, 48, which is pivoted on the head block, 45. A stretched spring, 49, connects the head end of the screw with a stud, 50, projecting from the head block, 45, and which may be, as shown, the reduced end of the bar, 41. This spring operates for holding the inner end of the screw, 46, stressed against the protruding end of the bar, 42, so that the elongation of that bar in excess of elongation of the heavier bar which will occur upon rapid rise of temperature, operates to trip the latch end of the latch lever, 48, out of engagement of a catch nose, 5l, which is carried by a weighted lever, 52, pivoted at its lower end at the lower side of the forward end of the housing, 40; and said lever being thus released swings down against the protruding end oi the stem, 31, of a ilexible diaphragm, 32, which forms part of the wall of a valve chamber, 33, which is interposed in the pipe line, 18, for housing the valve, 30, which is normally held seated against the pressure and ow through the line, 18, to the open head system, 23, by a strut, 34, which is displaced by the thrust of the inner end of the diaphragm stem due to the impact against the outer end of that stem of the released weight, 43, thus permitting the valve to be opened by the water pressure for operating the open head system as above described.

1n Figure 7 there is shown a modication consisting in provision for deriving the pressure for controlling the valve, 21g, of the system-connecting device directly from the water supply line instead of from the closed head system. The pipe connection for this purpose is indicated at 35 in said Figure 7; and the operation of this connection by relief of pressure is eiected by equipping said pipe line, 35, with a limited number of normally closed water discharge heads, 15X, and with a restriction, 35a, antecedent to the connection of said pipe line, 35, with the system-connecting device; so that the flow capacity of the line is substantially oiset by the discharge capacity of even one of the discharge heads, 15X.

In the form shown in this Figure 7 the pipe line, 18X corresponding in part to the line, 18, of the earlier figures, leads directly to the open head system, 23, being for that purpose connected, as shown, with the pipe 22. And for opening communication with the open head system through this line, 18X, without depending upon the opening of a closed head, 15X, for venting the pressure which holds the valve, 21g, closed,there is provided a pressure vent and drain line, 25X, leading from connection with the pipe, 25, between the connection of that pipe with 'the system-connecting device and the junction of the pipe, 35, with the pipe, 25. This vent and drain pipe is equipped with a normaily closed valve indicated at 25m, controlling the liow through said pipe for vent or drainage; and there is provided for operating this valve for opening, a thermostatic device, 40, identical with that shown in the earlier iigures and similarly associated with the valve, 25m, for opening said valve when the temperature affecting the thermostatic device indicates fire hazard.

I claim:

1A An apparatus for protecting buildings against fire comprising a main water supply line arranged for connection with a source of water under pressure, a wet pipe system and a service line thereto connected with said supply line, said system being equipped with normally closed water discharge heads adapted to be opened by iire heat and until so opened preventing discharge and thereby causing the pressure in said service line to be that of the supply line; a second service line and system served thereby having normally open water discharge heads; a conduit for water leading to said open head service line, said conduit being connected with the main water supply line for uncontrolled ow from said main supply line into said conduit; conduit-connecting means comprised in said second service line antecedent to the open discharge heads thereof comprising a valve controlling the flow passage through said conduit-connecting means arranged to be normally seated by iluid pressure; means associated with said valve for thus normally seating it by uid pressure, and flow connections to said means from the rst mentioned service line.

2. An apparatus for protecting buildings against re comprising in combination with a main water supply line, a closed head system and an open head system; valve devices controlling access of water from the main water supply line to said systems respectively arranged to seat against the supply pressure and flow, whereby the valve of said Valve device of the closed head system is held normally seated by the pressure in the closed head system so long as the discharge heads thereof remain closed, said valve device controlling the open head system having an inlet and first and second discharges and rst and second pipe connections from said discharges respectively with the open head system, an inlet valve controlling said inlet, a valve controlling the second discharge associated with the inlet controlling valve for being opened and closed by the opening and closing movement of said inlet valve; a fluid-pressurecontrolled valve interposed in said first discharge connection seating against the flow through said connection toward the open head system, whereby said inlet valve and associated discharge valves are normally held seated by the pressure in said first discharge connection and huid-pressure-operated means controlling said valve holding it normally closed, and fluid pressure connections to said means from the closed head system; whereby the opening of a normally closed head of said closed head system relieving the pressure causes said last mentioned valve to be opened for ow toward the open head system relieving the pressure in said iirst mentioned valve device and causing the inlet and discharge Valves thereof to be opened by the supply pressure; a thermostatically operated valve device interposed in the second discharge connection of the open head system comprising a temperature-responsive device located in the open head system area, whereby when the associated system and discharge valves have been opened as described for delivery of water to the open head system by way of the iirst discharge connections, the occurrence of re heat in the open head area causes additional discharge of water to the open heads by way of the second discharge connection.

3. An apparatus for protecting buildings against nre comprising in combination with a main water supply line arranged for connection with a source of water under pressure; a first service line connected to said main water supply line and a discharge head system served by said line having water discharge heads normally closed and adapted to be opened by re heat in their vicinity and until so opened preventing discharge and thereby causing the pressure in said service line to be that of the supply line; a second service line and an open head system served by said second line, conduit elements connecting the main Water supply line with the open head service line comprising a valve device having inlet connected with the main water supply line and having two discharges with rst and second discharge connections from said discharges respectively to the open head system; said valve device having interiorly thereof an inlet valve and a discharge valve, the latter arranged controlling said second discharge connection, said discharge valve being associated with the inlet valve for being opened and closed by the opening and closing movement of said inlet valve, a valve interposed in the rst discharge connection, for retaining the pressure for holding said associated inlet and discharge valves normally seated, a valve controlling the second discharge connection seating against the flow toward the open head system, and iluid pressure operated means for holding the valve in the iirst discharge connection normally seated, said valve interposed in the second discharge connection having a temperature-responsive device operatively associated with said valve for opening said valve upon predetermined temperature conditions affecting said temperature-responsive device; a flow connection from the closed head system connected for communicating pressure to said fluid-pressure-operated means, whereby said pressure is vented permitting said first mentioned interposed valve to be opened by the supply pressure upon the opening of a discharge head of said closed head line for supplying water to the open head system independently of the supply through said second and thermostatically controlled discharge connection.

4. An apparatus for protecting buildings against fire hazard comprising an open head system and a closed head system preximately situated in an area to be protected; a water delivery line leading from a source of water under pressure to the open head system and a Water delivery line leading from the water source to the closed head system, the rst mentioned delivery line comprising first and second branches-in-parallel both leading to the open head system; a valve interposed in the first of said branches-in-parallel antecedent to the water discharge heads of the open head system, a temperature-responsive device situated in proximity to the open head system and operatively associated with said valve for opening the same upon predetermined re heat conditions aiiecting said temperature-responsive device; a valve device interposed in the second branch-in-parallel having a flow passage through it and a valve element controlling said flow passage arranged to seat against the ovv toward the open head system; luid-pressure-responsive Valve-actuating means associated with said valve element for holding it normally seated by fluid pressure against iiow toward the open head system; a pressure flow connection from said pressure-responsive means to the pipe lines of the closed head system for holding said valve element normally seated by fluid pressure against flow to the open head system while the water discharge heads of the closed head system remain closed, whereby relief of pressure in the closed head system due to opening of the normally closed heads relieving the pressure on said valveactuating means causes the valve to be opened by the flow, admitting water to the open head system through said second branch-in-parallel independently of the operation of said temperature-responsive device admitting the water to said system through the iirst branch-in-parallel.

5. An apparatus for pro ecting buildings against fire hazard comprising an open head system and a closed head system; water delivery lines leading to said systems respectively from a source of water under pressure, the'delivery line to the open head system being parted into two flow passages having their junction or parting at a point in said delivery line antecedent to the water discharge heads of the open head system; a valve interposed in and controlling one of said flow passages; pressure-operable means operatively associated with said valve for holding the same normally seated against flow past the valve toward the open head system; pressure ow connection to said pressure-operable means leading from the pipe lines of the closed head system; whereby said valve is held seated while the supply pressure is maintained in the closed head system by the discharge heads all remaining closed, and said valve is released for opening by the ow to the open head system when the pressure in the closed head system is relieved by the opening of the water discharge heads of that system; a valve interposed in and controlling flow through the other oi' said parted iiow passages, and a temperature-responsive device positioned for responding to re conditions in the open head system area and operatively associated with said last mentioned valve for opening the same.

EMIL TYDEN. 

